UK Enterprise Awards 2018

118 SME NEWS / UK Enterprise Awards 2018 , UKE18109 Uniplex UK Ltd is a manufacturer and repairer of surgical instruments and tuning forks. Uniplex is also a distributor of medical devices with a particular focus on the Operating Room, Sterile Service departments and Endoscopy suites within hospitals. Their portfolio includes sutures, haemostats and sealants, and light sources with/without headlight mounted cameras as well as the surgical instruments and tuning forks it makes, as we find out when we profile this dynamic and innovative company. Best Medical Device Company 2018 at the company’s Furnace Hill base, but in doing so allows continuing good service to client hospitals which is the company’s primary focus. Additionally, 2018 will see the launch of a specialist sealant into Operating Theatres in the UK and the team are excited about the prospects for this Italian made product, Glubran2. All of these developments offer Uniplex the chance to grow and flourish, building upon the firm’s current success. Overall, the future looks bright for Uniplex. As part of its long term development it entered into an agreement with Meril, an Indian manufacturer of sutures in 2016 and the groundwork on that project is beginning to bear fruit, with orders now coming through regularly from half a dozen customers and that list is growing all the time. This is a massive leap forward and a huge learning curve all around. It has been necessary to invest in new stock facilities then introduce lower cost alternatives more effectively. The firm’s longevity in this competitive market is testimony to the success of this innovative approach. The NHS is always looking for lower cost products and services, but they have to be able to perform and also meet strict standards. Competition is increasing daily and new ways of procuring keeps the Company on its’ toes. Having survived this long Uniplex believes it is a great partner for the hospitals of this country as well as the overseas makers it represents. The NHS has recently introduced its’ Future Operating Model, and Uniplex is learning to deal with a completely altered landscape in terms of procurement. The manufacturing arm of Uniplex UK Ltd incorporates the 170 year old Ragg Tuning Fork company and is a member of the prestigious “Made In Sheffield” group, more of which can be found on www. madeinsheffield.org . Being a Sheffield based company offers the firm’s customers the benefit of knowing they are dealing with an organisation that can get things done because there are so many processes in making and repairing surgical instruments and tuning forks that can be accessed in the area. This makes Uniplex very efficient and it often succeeds where others do not. Drawing on its vast experience in the medical device market, Uniplex is determined to find products from around the world that offer performance that is at least as good as if not better than the established market leaders, and always for less money than NHS Trusts are currently paying. Having found a good product to sell, the company’s marketing department goes about researching the entry points to the market and establishes that product on the necessary framework agreements that exist. They then provide the Sales team with all the tools they think are necessary to approach key opinion leaders by way of materials and training. It is this focus on quality that sets the firm apart from its competitors. The team is determined to offer good quality, cost effective products into a crowded market. Hospitals are busy places and, unless Uniplex is offering a unique product like its’ High Definition headlight mounted camera, like for like products are being used usually at a higher cost. Over the forty or so years that the company has been trading it has gained a reputation for not wasting people’s time, so the access needed is easier for its’ sales people than it might be for a “NewCo” and it can Uniplex UK Ltd Company: Uniplex UK Ltd Contact: Adriaan Posthuma Address: 11 Furnace Hill, Sheffield, S3 7AF, UK Phone: 01142 413410 Uniplex UK Ltd